Carlo Sine is marking a milestone for Natural Selections as the independent label reaches its tenth release. Rather than building the catalogue around a fixed genre, Sine describes its direction as rooted in shared taste, with releases moving between house, disco, higher-energy sounds, and more psychedelic territory.
Photo credit: Carlo Sine – Official
The tenth release brings Thomass Jackson into the catalogue with ‘Portobello Mafia’ and ‘Jam’, following his previous guest mix and remix for the label. Sine also contributes his first artist appearance on Natural Selections with a remix of ‘Jam’, drawing on the punk rock and metal he listened to before discovering club culture.
In this conversation, Carlo Sine discusses Natural Selections’ evolving identity, working with Thomass Jackson, balancing his roles as label head and artist, the environmental commitments behind the imprint, and plans for future showcases and its first vinyl release.
EG: Hi Carlo, welcome to Electronic Groove. It’s great to have you with us. How have you been, and how does it feel to reach the tenth release of Natural Selections?
Carlo Sine: Thanks for having me. It’s pretty wild to think that we’re already at ten releases. It honestly doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were reaching out to some of our favorite artists, hoping they’d take a chance on a new label. Seeing how things have developed since then has been really rewarding, and I’m excited about where we’re headed next.
EG: Ten releases is a meaningful milestone for any independent label, particularly one with such a clearly defined aesthetic. Looking back at the catalogue so far, what do you feel Natural Selections has become since you first started it, and has that identity evolved in ways you didn’t necessarily anticipate?
Carlo Sine: I don’t think we ever wanted Natural Selections to have a really strict identity in terms of genre. It was more about trusting our taste and working with artists whose music we genuinely connected with.
As A&R of the label, I always tell people that the taste I seek is somewhere around “psychedelic 4×4.” It’s a pretty broad description, but that’s kind of the point. Some releases lean more toward disco or house, while others are darker, weirder, or harder to categorize. At this point, I’d rather someone recognize a Natural Selections record by the feeling behind it than because it fits into one specific genre.
EG: Thomass Jackson has been part of the Natural Selections story for some time, having previously contributed a guest mix and a remix, so his first official catalogue appearance feels particularly fitting. What was it about his music and approach that made you want him to become part of the label’s story in this way?
Carlo Sine: I’ve always been a fan of Thomass’ music, and he was pretty high on our list of artists we wanted to work with from the beginning. I was also a fan of what he and Iñigo Vontier were doing with Calypso Records. There was definitely a shared taste there that made working together feel pretty natural.
His remix for Aimes and the NS Radio mix he contributed both landed exactly where we hoped they would vibe-wise. Then we finally got the chance to hang out when he came over to play one of our label parties in the spring, along with a couple other gigs we played together around that date. We then became friends through that experience, so when the opportunity came up to do a proper release together, it was kind of a no-brainer.
EG: ‘Portobello Mafia’ and ‘Jam’ both have that wonderfully wonky quality associated with Thomass’ productions, full of twisted grooves, playful rhythms, and psychedelic details. What immediately stood out to you when you first heard these tracks?
Carlo Sine: What stood out right away was how loose and alive they felt. Thomass has a way of making grooves that are slightly off-center without ever losing the dancefloor, and both tracks really have that quality.
I was immediately drawn to the vocal samples in both tracks. I’m always a sucker for spoken-word samples in dance music when they’re done tastefully, and Thomass has a way of working them into the groove without making them feel obvious. Then there are those weird little squelches throughout ‘Portobello Mafia’ that give it this strange psychedelic character. And honestly, it’s just such a great name. It felt oddly fitting with the environmental ethos of Natural Selections. There are all these little details throughout both tracks, but nothing feels forced or overly complicated. They both have a lot of personality, which is something I’m always drawn to.
EG: You’ve closed the EP with your own remix of ‘Jam’, transforming it into something considerably grittier and more punk-disco oriented. What did you hear in the original that made you want to take it in that direction?
Carlo Sine: Remixes can go in so many different directions, but I wanted to keep a lot of the original sounds from ‘Jam.’ The track is already so good on its own that I wanted to pay respect to what Thomass had made rather than completely turn it into something else.
As for the groove, I grew up on punk rock and metal long before I found club culture, and that side of my taste has always stuck with me. With this being my first contribution to the label as an artist, it felt important to let some of that personality come through and give the remix a little more grit.
“At this point, I’d rather someone recognize a Natural Selections record by the feeling behind it than because it fits into one specific genre”
EG: There’s a very “physical” quality to your remix, something that feels made for sweaty rooms, late hours, and a crowd that has stopped worrying about what time it is. What were you trying to capture with that version, and how different is your approach when you remix someone else’s music compared to your own productions?
Carlo Sine: The original bass line has a great club bounce to it, but I knew I wanted my version to feel more driving and raw. Something that makes you clench your jaw and dig into the groove rather than shuffle around the dancefloor. So I picked up the four-string and started messing around with a new bass line. That ended up setting the tone for the whole remix and gave it the grit I was after.
I actually find remixes a little freeing compared to starting one of my own tracks from scratch. There’s already an idea in front of you to react to, so I tend to work a little more instinctively and not overthink where it needs to go.
EG: As the person behind Natural Selections, how do you separate the label head from the artist when making decisions about releases? Does being responsible for the wider identity of the label ever make you more selective about putting your own music into the catalogue?
Carlo Sine: When my buddy Nature, Boy and I started the label, the mission was never to use it strictly as a platform to put out my own music. First and foremost, it was about showcasing music from around the globe that we resonate with, while also finding a way to give something back. With every release, we donate a portion of the sales to an environmental nonprofit.
Since I handle most of the A&R, a lot of the musical direction of Natural Selections organically comes through my taste, but that goes well beyond the music I personally make. There are sounds on the label that I’d probably never produce myself, but they absolutely find their way into my DJ sets.
If anything, that does make me more selective about putting my own music on the label. I don’t want to release something just because I made it — it has to earn its place in the catalogue the same way anything else does.
EG: With the catalogue now established, what are you looking for when you hear music that you might want to release on Natural Selections? Is there a particular quality that makes you immediately think, ‘this belongs here’?
Carlo Sine: I’ve always liked letting the label wander into different genre territories, and I think you can hear that across releases one through ten. We’ve gone into the higher-energy sounds of Roe Deers and Kubebe, the indie dance and vocal-driven tracks on Kabinett’s album, and lately my ear has been drifting back toward the slower, disco-leaning tempos of the releases by Balam and Aimes.
Right now I’m really interested in exploring that side of the label a little further. Something that blurs the line between electronic production and a live studio session where Timothy Leary may have dropped by.
EG: You’re now looking beyond the first ten releases. Without giving away anything you’d rather keep under wraps, what can you tell us about what’s coming next for Natural Selections, and are there any new directions you’re particularly excited to explore?
Carlo Sine: There’s quite a bit in the works. We have a party being announced soon in my second home, Brooklyn. Along with a few other events coming together for the beginning of the new year. We’re hoping to double the number of label showcases we did in 2026, so I’m really excited to keep building that side of Natural Selections. Along with expanding our involvement & contribution efforts with amazing organizations like DJ’s For Climate Action & Parties For Peace, who are doing amazing work in the fight against climate change.
On the label front, we still have two more releases coming before the end of the year, with some new artists and remixers joining the roster. And next year we have plans to put out our first vinyl release, which is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.
“There was never a rulebook for the label, and I think every release has fucked with the definition a little bit”
EG: Finally, if you could go back to the moment you started Natural Selections and tell yourself one thing about what the label would become by its tenth release, what would surprise you most?
Carlo Sine: I think I’d probably be surprised that ten releases in, we still haven’t really figured out what Natural Selections is supposed to be, and I mean that in the best way possible. There was never a rulebook for the label, and I think every release has fucked with the definition a little bit. I’d be more surprised if we got to number ten and suddenly had everything figured out.
EG: Thank you so much for your time. We wish you all the best with Natural Selections, the release of ‘Portobello Mafia’, and everything ahead. Take care!
Carlo Sine: Appreciate y’all taking interest in what we are building. Stay Golden.
Thomass Jackson’s ‘Portobello Mafia’ is out now via Natural Selections. Stream and download here.
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